Intimus Maleficium
The Intimus Maleficium are a predatory species sharing both reptilian and avian traits. They come from a high-density jungle world known as Hwaa, are somewhat primitive in technology compared to many other space-faring species and have a very social disposition. Name The name Intimus Maleficium translates roughly into "Inner Mischief" in many other species' languages, though the interpretation of it as meaning "Inner Demon" is also used among their enemies. This name can be seen to stem from the species outwards, social nature and lack of personal inhibition in many matters seen as taboo in other cultures. History Evolution Transition to civilization Habitat and population The Intimus live, for the most part, in large sprawling communities. Much of these extend underground, and only the innermost areas are comparable to human ubran centers in which towers and large strcutures can be found. Rather, most of the cities consider of lowset, one or two story stone buildings dug into the ground as well as open air shops and markets. Archetecture is merged with nature in most places, sinking into hills and being built around or under trees. Housing is communal, with around ten different Intimus dwelling in the same place. Industrial zones are kept isolated from the rest of the world for the most part, run mostly by those willing to move into the dirtier, louder, less natural living zones there. Eggs are taken to communal nurseries after they are laid, and after hatching the hatchlings are taught by vollunteers until they are eight, when they are allowed to find a home to live in under the care of those already living there. A Intimus is considered 'mature' at age nine, and then is allowed to take part in most jobs and council meetings. Until that time they are encouraged to learn and apprentice with those who hold their interest. The Intimus have very little sense of privacy. Their archetecture doesnt utalize doors unless it needs to, such as to seal off dangerous areas or to keep out the elements. Combined with their rather active sex drives, they generally mate just about wherever they feel like it. They do try to keep from getting underfoot though. The Intimus dont, in general, wear clothing, partly due to their tough scales. However, there are jobs that require some form of extra protection, and those in important leadership positions often wear robes. This is a sign that they are dedicated to said jobs, as it hinders their ability to suddenly drop what they are doing to go have sex with someone who catches their eye. Biology Anatomy Intimus Maleficium average at 185 centimetres (6 feet) in height, and weigh about 90 kilograms (200 pounds). They are warm blooded, but have a poor ability to store heat, meaning they get cold very easily. Their bodies are covered in scales both fine and large, and may come in practically any colour. In addition to their scales, Intimus have fairly extensive plumage (often, but not always of a similar colour and shade to their scales). Their body generally follows the same proportions as a human, though they are almost always slender, with well-defined muscles. It is a rare sight to see an overweight Intimus, in fact. Their great weight is accounted for in the density of their muscles and bones, an adaptation for their high-gravity home. Their head is avian in appearance with wide eyes and a short, curved beak. They also have both long, pointed ears and a pair of gently curved, backwards-sweeping horns. In place of hair, Intimus have thick feathers. Another avian feature are the two sets of wings that Intimus sport, one attached at the shoulder blades and the other just above the hips. These wings, also covered thickly in feathers, can reach a wingspan of up to ten feet. Intimus sport a long, flexible tail which ends in a fan of feathers similar to a peacock's tail, which they can similarly collapse. They have a much denser mass owing to the approximately three times higher gravity of their homeworld compared to Earth-standard. Because of this, Intimus have great difficulty doing actions like swimming, but can also take a great deal of physical punishment. They are also known for their great resistance to most forms of disease, both those natural and alien in nature. Intimus are carnivorous, with sharp talons and sharp teeth inside their beak. They have amazing reflexes, and their strength is roughly three to five times greater than that of a human due to their high-gravity home. They also have highly sensitive noses, evolved to detect even faint scents. They do, however, have a short range of tracking granted by smell alone, and cannot pick up faraway prey. Speech Intimus have not a larynx but an organ more akin to the syrinx. In addition to giving them an incredibly complex array of sounds, to use, it allows them to easily duplicate other species languages once they have learned them. Gender The differences between sexes among the Intimus are much the same as other humanoid species, with females being more slender than males and possessing breasts. Unlike mammals, Intimus do not breastfeed. Their breasts serve solely as a means of storing fat, useful during the gestation of an egg. Meanwhile, males have a pair of semi-prehensile hemipenes. Reproduction is accomplished in the same manner as humans. Life cycle The Intimus Maleficium life cycle is very similar to both reptilian and avian species, and after fertilization the female will gestate anywhere from one to four eggs inside themselves over the course of about two months before laying. After the eggs are laid, they take another six months to hatch. Once hatched, the young require care for only a few months before they can hunt small animals and feed themselves. Female Intimus also have the interesting ability to actually control if they become gravid, which helps to keep the population in acceptable levels. This ability is mostly at a subconscious level, and largely depends on variables such as available food, emotional condition, population density, and even the weather. Intimus become reproductively mature at roughly age eight, and the maximum lifespan of the species hovers at roughly fifty to sixty years. Pheromones Intimus Maleficium have a relatively uncommon feature, in that they produce very powerful pheromones that are easily noticeable by other species and have the rare ability to cross species boundaries in their ability to communicate mood and emotion. These pheromones are generated by very small glands inside their feathers. Intimus pheromones convey what the Intimus often refer to as a "sympathetic understanding" of their current emotional state, in which the experience is not actually shared, but rather understood or "felt" by the receiver. This can lead to them entering the same emotional state, but does not lead to this on it's own. Some have reported that certain emotions seem to have a consistent scent, often uncannily familiar, but this is mostly attributed to projection. For instance, some may associate comfort with memories of baking bread, and thus pair the smell to the Intimus pheromone tied to comfort. Some Intimus have been known to train themselves to control the chemical composition of their pheromones, allowing them to create effects ranging from drowsiness-inducing anaesthetics to alertness-boosting stimulants to lethal toxins. Diet Intimus Maleficium are carnivores, and as such have no need for vegetables, grains, or fruits in their diet. While this means that agriculture was never developed beyond the need to create cloth and other textiles, they are also reluctant to practice herding or other forms of farming. Instead, they maintain as natural a ecosystem as possible around their settlements and regularly hunt for game. Some Intimus do practice trapping, and barter off their catches to those without the time to hunt for the food themselves in return for other goods or services. Psychology Intimus are similarly intelligent to humans or other spacefaring species, though their lifespan limits the amount of information absorption that can be accomplished compared to longer-lived species. They are universally accepted as unmatched in mental complexity on their homeworld, however, unlike humans, who are sometimes believed to be rivalled by some Earth sea creatures. Motivation and emotion The Intimus are a predatory species, and keep their eyes open and their senses alert at all times, ready for a surprise. They are also very inquisitive, with nearly insatable hungers for new information and experiences. Additionally, their pheromones make it exceptionally hard for them to keep their true feelings hidden from other Intimus, leading to a highly open culture that rarely comes into the level of conflict humanity is known for. Similarly, due to their very day-to-day oriented lifestyles and communal society, many negative emotions such as greed, envy, or sorrow are less present in overall life due to a lack of time to fixate on them, or simply the fact that they don't have any place in their culture. For instance, since the Intimus have next to no sense of personal belongings, greed is particularly absent from most individuals. Intimus have highly active sex drives, combined with fleeting infatuations and little personal restraint. Due to their general lack of long-term planning and perpetuity for seeking out new experiences, Intimus almost never have a relationship lasting longer than a month and frequently find new partners. Those in longer-lasting relationships do have a very strong bond during their duration, however. Culture Spirituality and religion Religion doesn't generally have as large a presence in the life of the Intimus Maleficium as it does in many other species, both pre-spacefaring and post-spacefaring. By their very nature they care more about day-to-day life, and the greater level of social connection between them removes much of the need for belief in a higher, all-loving power. However, several religions do exist, mostly polytheistic. Art, music, and literature Artistic expression is an often under appreciated part of Intimus Maleficium culture. While art does exist, it is still simplistic, and the common Intimus will likely not rise above etching and simple painting akin to human cave art. Some are known to take a greater interest in visual arts, however, and the works of these drawers, painters and sculptors are highly regarded. Other forms of art, such as music, are much more common. Intimus are generally regarded as excellent singers and composers, with a great sense for sound, rhythm and tone. Outside their own civilization, some have become known as great singers simply by telling stories in their own language. Literature is another aspect that the Intimus pay less attention to. Escapism is an uncommon trait, so those who write or read such fiction are uncommon. Since the effort to write something down is often seen as a waste of time, most myth, folklore and other stories are passed down orally, leading to a great amount of mutation and evolution in said stories between different regions. Society, government, and politics Intimus Maleficium are, at a basic level, tribal. They form into large city-states and, at a global level, into collections of city-states under the rule of non-hereditary noble houses. Meanwhile, the interplanetary governance of the species falls upon the Empire Maleficium. Trade and economics The barter system is still common among the Intimus Maleficium, with currency only being used at the level of the noble houses, city-state officials, and the Empire Maleficium. The Intimus have a very advanced interplanetary trade network, however, and minerals are their prime medium of exchange due to their reluctance to damage their own environment, leading to a focus on extracting resources from asteroids and uninhabitable moons. Technology Weaponry The Intimus homeworld Hwaa is filled with very dangerous and physically powerful creatures. On top of this, Intimus are incredibly powerful in close quarters and the nature of their jungle environment makes long-range weapons impractical. As such, their weaponry has evolved to be very powerful in the short-range but almost never good for long-range engagements. Most Intimus weaponry is made by the Empire Maleficium armoury. Intimus weaponry includes: *Type 5 Ripper *Type 3 Spiker *Model 12 Boomshock *Type 6 Charge Hammer *Model 3 Shrapnel Grenade Spacecraft Roleplay History The Intimus have gone through a good number of design changes and lore updates through their history. This review replaces the names and concepts with the current canon ones. The following notes contain notable appearances of the Intimus in RPs. United Terran Alliance The first appearance of the Intimus Maleficium, then known as the "Inner Demons". After a major battle, the Intimus lent their diplomat Xii to assist in Templar negotiations and diplomatic endeavors. She then stuck around and led several boarding assaults on enemy UTA ships. Hard SF RP During the Hard SF RP one of the first Intimus starships, the Archos' Will jumped into a system inhabited by the Machtiger Krieger and began to work on opening communication between the two species. Mirror of Eden During Mirror of Eden the Intimus Maleficium had a run-in with the Asterion Empire and their "exiled" ruler, the Sen'Taran along with interacting with the Alekians and a wrecked ship of the Vantran clan. Extermination The Empire Maleficium sent a team of Maleficium (both Intimus and Umbra) to assist in the destruction of the Locust homeworld during Extermination. Apocalypse In Apocalypse the Intimus Maleficium took its first steps into the galaxy at large, rapidly coming into conflict with an advanced alien empire known as the Kutoten Consortium, leading to several pitched battles that came to be known as the Xenos Conflicts. Category:Species Category:Humanoid Category:Maleficium Category:Science Fiction